# Obama Sets Up Commission To "Fight" The Deficit! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 27, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566 "2010-04-27T21:43:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/61 "2010-04-28T17:06:00Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > :eek: No! NO! Republicans, I beg of you! **Please** don’t run Sarah Palin against Obama in 2012! **Please** don’t make Michelle Bachmann her running mate! **PLEASE!** Shaddup, or it’s into the briar patch with ya! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/62 "2010-04-28T17:23:40Z")
> [@Digital\_Stimulus](#): > > Isn’t this commission the (inferior) replacement for what was meant to be a Congressional commission? One with teeth (potentially anyway, as it would have had legislative branch backing)? > > IIRC, that couldn’t be done because the Republicans wouldn’t play nice…so Obama had to do it as an executive order type thing. Although I think Obama is doing the right thing here (to some degree, anyway) I have to correct the blame I placed on Republicans above – the [Senate vote against the Congressional panel](http://www.gazettenet.com/2010/01/27/senate-votes-down-panel-cut-deficit) came from both sides: > [@](#): > > The Senate vote was 53-46, seven short of the 60 needed for approval. The vote was a rare display of bipartisanship: Supporting the proposal were 36 Democrats, 16 Republicans and one independent. The opposition was a coalition of Republicans who worried that the panel would give new impetus to tax hikes, and Democrats concerned that it would force cuts in Medicare and other prized programs. Jackasses. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/63 "2010-04-28T17:32:55Z")
> [@](#): > > The Senate vote was 53-46, seven short of the 60 needed for approval. Where’d that 60 come from? I was under the impression that the senate operated by majority rule, not supermajority rule. Thus sounds like poor reporting on yet another Republican filibuster. Was the vote reported in the story actually a vote on cloture, rather than a vote on the measure itself? 53 votes _should_ have been enough to pass the measure. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/64 "2010-04-28T17:58:08Z")
Obama is simply the worst president we have ever had. He has put America’s sovereignty at risk in his dealings with European “leaders” and the UN. He has pulled all of our troops out of Iraq and thrown them into some backwater country that had nothing to do with 911. The dumbass thinks that because the Soviets invaded Afghanistan- we should too. Yes Barack, let’s follow the communist playbook. And his domestic policies are destroying America. His energy plan sucks. [Hey, we need oil](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/science/earth/31energy.html). Of course we do, President dumbass, but your policy changed led directly to [this disaster](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126214809). He bailed out the car companies just so Americans can be killed by vehicles with malfunctioning accelerator pedals. We should have seen this coming, but the press won’t report it. When Obama was an activist judge in Chicaqo, he ordered an 87 year old grandmother to have an abortion. An 87 year old grandmother! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/65 "2010-04-28T18:08:40Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Not familiar with that phrase. Anything like an ex-coworker used to say, “He’s ate up with the dumbass”? > > -Joe Passed out drunk. Possibly still in that state, since he hasn’t returned to defend his hypothesis. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/66 "2010-04-28T18:13:01Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Obama is simply the worst president we have ever had. He has put America’s sovereignty at risk in his dealings with European “leaders” and the UN. He has pulled all of our troops out of Iraq and thrown them into some backwater country that had nothing to do with 911. The dumbass thinks that because the Soviets invaded Afghanistan- we should too. Yes Barack, let’s follow the communist playbook. > > And his domestic policies are destroying America. His energy plan sucks. [Hey, we need oil](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/science/earth/31energy.html). Of course we do, President dumbass, but your policy changed led directly to [this disaster](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126214809). He bailed out the car companies just so Americans can be killed by vehicles with malfunctioning accelerator pedals. > > We should have seen this coming, but the press won’t report it. When Obama was an activist judge in Chicaqo, he ordered an 87 year old grandmother to have an abortion. An 87 year old grandmother! The amazing thing is the level of debate from the right is so low right now, I had to read your post twice to make sure you weren’t serious. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/67 "2010-04-28T18:18:29Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Obama is simply the worst president we have ever had. He has put America’s sovereignty at risk in his dealings with European “leaders” and the UN. He has pulled all of our troops out of Iraq and thrown them into some backwater country that had nothing to do with 911. The dumbass thinks that because the Soviets invaded Afghanistan- we should too. Yes Barack, let’s follow the communist playbook. > > And his domestic policies are destroying America. His energy plan sucks. [Hey, we need oil](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/science/earth/31energy.html). Of course we do, President dumbass, but your policy changed led directly to [this disaster](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126214809). He bailed out the car companies just so Americans can be killed by vehicles with malfunctioning accelerator pedals. > > We should have seen this coming, but the press won’t report it. When Obama was an activist judge in Chicaqo, he ordered an 87 year old grandmother to have an abortion. An 87 year old grandmother! Holy shit. Is it possible someone actually buys this? Wow. I am impressed. It has to be a joke. I get it . Very funny. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/68 "2010-04-28T18:31:24Z")
Why is it that Republicans want another Depression? The last time they caused one they were out of office for 20 years. Perhaps they know that they trash the place when they take over, so sniping from the sidelines is more fun? Perhaps they think that given the way demographics is going against them the only way they can actually win a national election is to have lots of poor people die of hunger? Or are they just economically illiterate? BTW, the Bush tax cuts wouldn’t be expiring if they weren’t passed with the time limit in order to make their impact on the deficit less. They were sure that given their 1000 year GOP reign it would be simple to extend them. So they have no one to blame but themselves for the much needed tax hike. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/69 "2010-04-28T18:40:18Z")
ralph is actually a genius. ODE TO IMPEDING DOOM \*You can’t make this up- this guy has driven the deficit and national debt to record levels- and now he has decided that we need to reduce the deficit! More Orwellian “Newspeak” -less is more, I am You, Truth is Ignorance… I wonder if obama will appoint a “debt czar” -that would seem to be appropriate! \* ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/70 "2010-04-28T18:42:12Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > BTW, the Bush tax cuts wouldn’t be expiring if they weren’t passed with the time limit in order to make their impact on the deficit less. They were sure that given their 1000 year GOP reign it would be simple to extend them. So they have no one to blame but themselves for the much needed tax hike. They expire because they were passed under reconciliation, as they only had fifty votes plus Cheney in the Senate, and under reconciliation you can’t pass permenant changes to the tax -code that aren’t deficit neutral. They may have thought they’d still be in power to extend the cuts (and to some extent they were right, even with the Dems in control, it seems pretty certain that all the tax-cuts won’t be allowed to sunset) but the reason the cuts sunset is because the GOP didn’t have any other choice. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/71 "2010-04-28T18:45:25Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Where’d that 60 come from? I was under the impression that the senate operated by majority rule, not supermajority rule. > Thus sounds like poor reporting on yet another Republican filibuster. > Was the vote reported in the story actually a vote on cloture, rather than a vote on the measure itself? > 53 votes _should_ have been enough to pass the measure. Well, from what I can gather, it was indeed a filibuster. However, the opposition was 23 Democrats and 23 Republicans, so it was also very much bipartisan. And, with some [further](http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/78069-senate-rejects-fiscal-deficit-reduction-commission) [reading](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/senate-rejects-deficit-co_n_438550.html) (both links worth the couple minutes if one cares), I’d also like to correct another misapprehension I had. According to those links, while Obama did endorse the Congressional panel late in the game, he favored one created by executive order. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/72 "2010-04-28T18:49:26Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Meh. All the idiots on the SDMB who don’t pay any taxes are somehow totally fine with an increase in taxes. Who’d a thunk it? You claim to be a tax attorney and you think there’s a lot of people who “don’t pay any taxes?” You’re fucking retarded and completely incompetent. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/73 "2010-04-28T18:53:31Z")
_The companies want to do something about this sluggish world economic situation. Profits have been running a little thin lately and we need to stimulate some growth…The companies think that it’s time we all sat down, had a serious get together, and start another war…Hell, Afganistans no fun. So whadya say? We dont even have to win this war. We just want to cut down on some of this exess population…We’ll call up every last youngster we can get our hands on, give 'em some speed, give em an hour or two to learn how to use an automatic rifle, and send 'em on their way._ [right]-- The Dead Kennedys, “Kinky Sex Makes The World Go 'Round”[/right] Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/74 "2010-04-28T18:53:53Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > They expire because they were passed under reconciliation, as they only had fifty votes plus Cheney in the Senate, and under reconciliation you can’t pass permenant changes to the tax -code that aren’t deficit neutral. > > They may have thought they’d still be in power to extend the cuts (and to some extent they were right, even with the Dems in control, it seems pretty certain that all the tax-cuts won’t be allowed to sunset) but the reason the cuts sunset is because the GOP didn’t have any other choice. That I hadn’t heard. They were definitely sold with a limited price tag even before they passed. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/75 "2010-04-28T19:13:47Z")
Rover reminds me of an old Playboy cartoon. A guy is sitting in an IRS office. The examiner says’“you are taking deductions like you are a somebody. But you are a nobody”. And stamps rejected on the form. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/76 "2010-04-28T19:53:40Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > You claim to be a tax attorney and you think there’s a lot of people who “don’t pay any taxes?” > > You’re fucking retarded and completely incompetent. Or just a bright but lonely Aspie teenager who picked up some verbiage from hearing his tax attorney father rant at the dinner table, just read _Atlas Shrugged_, and thinks it’s the Bible. Before long he’ll read _Starship Troopers_ and think he knows The Truth about foreign policy, too. Not the only kid here who wants to be accepted by the grownups, but, as Axl Rose put it, “You ain’t the first, but you been the worst”. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/77 "2010-04-28T20:11:07Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > They expire because they were passed under reconciliation… I’m sorry - this can’t be true. If I’ve learned one thing this spring, it’s that reconciliation is an underhanded, dirty parliamentarian trick that thwarts the will of the people, and that Republicans would never, ever do such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/78 "2010-04-28T20:27:32Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Where’d that 60 come from? I was under the impression that the senate operated by majority rule, not supermajority rule. AFAIK, the way it operates these days is that \*everything \*is under threat of filibuster if the minority doesn’t like it, so you need a supermajority to fucking _sneeze_. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/79 "2010-04-28T20:35:25Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Rover reminds me of an old Playboy cartoon. A guy is sitting in an IRS office. The examiner says’“you are taking deductions like you are a somebody. But you are a nobody”. And stamps rejected on the form. Read it for the cartoons, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/80 "2010-04-28T20:52:49Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I’m sorry - this can’t be true. If I’ve learned one thing this spring, it’s that reconciliation is an underhanded, dirty parliamentarian trick that thwarts the will of the people, and that Republicans would never, ever do such a thing. Wrong! Republicans are FORCED to do it when sneaky, underhanded DEMOCRATS misuse the fillibuster. Something a Republican would NEVER do. -Joe [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566.md?page=5)